Bit map addressing schemes for flash memory

ABSTRACT

Sense path and write path architectures for read and write accesses of a memory device having memory cells that store n binary bits are disclosed. &#34;By-output&#34; architectures provide one output per bit such that each selected memory cell is mapped to n outputs and the n bits stored in the selected memory cell are read in parallel. &#34;By-address&#34; architectures provide one address per bit such that each selected memory cell is mapped to one output, and the n bits stored in the selected memory cell are read sequentially.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to sense and write patharchitectures for a semiconductor memory device and specifically tosense and write path architectures for nonvolatile semiconductor memorydevices that include memory cells that store more than a single bit ofdata.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Nonvolatile semiconductor memory devices are fundamental building blocksin prior art computer system designs. The primary means by which data isstored in nonvolatile memory is the memory cell. Typical prior memorytechnologies provide a storage capacity of one bit, or two states, percell. Nonvolatile memory cells that have more than two possible statesare known to the prior art.

One type of prior nonvolatile semiconductor memory is the flashelectrically-erasable programmable read-only memory ("flash EEPROM").Prior art flash EEPROMs typically allow for the simultaneous reading ofseveral flash cells. Further, typical prior flash EEPROMs have a storagecapacity that is much greater than the amount of data that can be outputat any one time. Accordingly, each output of a flash EEPROM is typicallyassociated with an array of flash cells that is arranged into rows andcolumns, where each flash cell in an array is uniquely addressable. Whena user provides an address, row and column decoding logic in the flashEEPROM selects the corresponding flash cell. If more than one output isprovided, the array is typically subdivided into equal-sized data blockscontaining a subset of the number of columns in the array. For example,in a sixteen output flash device containing 512 k flash cells arrangedin 1024 rows and 512 columns, each of the sixteen data blocks contains32 columns by 1024 rows of flash cells.

One type of prior flash cell is a field effect transistor (FET) thatincludes a select gate, a floating gate, a drain and a source. For readoperations, the source of the flash cell is coupled to ground, and thedrain of the flash cell is coupled to a bitline of the array. The flashcell is switched on and off by applying a select voltage to the selectgate via a wordline that is coupled to the select gate. The extent towhich the flash cell conducts current when the select voltage is appliedis determined by the threshold voltage V_(t) of the flash cell, whichcan be increased by trapping electrons on the floating gate. A typicalmethod for storing information in a flash cell requires the trapping ofexcess electrons on the floating gate to increase the V_(t) of the flashcell such that the current conducted by the memory cell is reduced whenthe select voltage is applied to the select gate. If the cell current isless than a reference current when the select voltage is applied, theflash cell is said to be "programmed." If the cell current is greaterthan the reference current when the select voltage is applied, the flashcell is said to be "erased." As the typical prior art flash cell isconfigured to be in one of two possible states, programmed or erased,the typical prior art flash cell is said to store one bit of data.

Typical prior art schemes for accessing data stored in a flash cell aretherefore based on the premise that each cell stores a single bit ofdata. In such prior schemes, one output is provided for each selectedcell, and addressing a particular memory cell is the same as addressingthe data bit stored in the memory cell. When the memory cell stores twoor more bits of data, however, the prior art sense path architecturesfor single bit cells are inadequate because each memory cell addressspecifies more than a single bit. A sense path architecture is thereforeneeded to access each bit of information stored in a memory cell thatstores n bits of data. Similarly, a write path architecture is needed towrite n bits of data per memory cell.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide a sensepath architecture for accessing each bit of a memory cell that stores nbits per cell.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a write patharchitecture for writing data to a memory cell that stores n bits percell.

These and other objects are provided by a sense path circuit foraccessing data stored in a selected memory cell that stores at least twobinary bits of data. The sense path circuit includes a plurality ofoutputs equal in number to the n bits stored in the selected cell. Thesense path circuit also includes a sensing circuit that is coupled tothe selected memory cell and to each of the outputs for determining astate for each of the n bits stored in the selected memory cell and foroutputting each of the n bits to a corresponding one of the plurality ofoutputs. A corresponding write path circuit is also disclosed.

A second embodiment provides for the objects of the invention by sensepath circuit for accessing data stored in a selected memory cell thatstores at least two binary bits of data. The sense path circuit includesa single output and a plurality of latches equal in number to the numberof bits stored in the selected memory cell. The sense path circuit alsoincludes a sensing circuit that is coupled to the selected memory celland to each latch for determining a state for each of the n bits storedin the selected memory cell. A switching circuit selectively andsequentially couples the output of each latch to the output such thatdata stored in the selected memory cell is output over n consecutiveclock cycles. A corresponding write path circuit is also disclosed.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will beapparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detaileddescription which follows below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example and notlimitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which likereferences indicate similar elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows a computer system according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows a distribution of multi-level flash cells as a function ofV_(t).

FIG. 3 illustrates a by-output sense path architecture according to afirst embodiment.

FIG. 4A is a flow chart for a binary search sensing scheme.

FIG. 4B is a more conventional flow chart for a binary search sensingscheme.

FIG. 5 illustrates a sensing circuit that implements a binary searchscheme for sensing the state of a flash cell having four possiblestates.

FIG. 6 shows a by-output write path architecture.

FIG. 7 shows a by-address sense path architecture.

FIG. 8 shows a by-address write path architecture.

FIG. 9 shows an alternative write path architecture that may implementeither by-address or by-output addressing schemes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of illustration, the memory device discussed inrelation to the figures is assumed to be a sixteen output flash EEPROMhaving a 512 k flash cell array. The array is arranged in 1024 rows and512 columns, which are subdivided into sixteen data blocks of equal sizehaving 1024 rows and 32 columns each. Components that are common to eachembodiment are labeled similarly in order to avoid confusion. Thisexample is not exhaustive of the memory devices in which the method andapparatus of the present invention can be implemented.

FIG. 1 shows a computer system of one embodiment. The computer systemgenerally includes a bus 111, to which may be coupled a processor 112,main memory 114, static memory 116, mass storage device 117, andintegrated circuit controller 118. Static memory 116 may include a flashelectrically eraseable programmable read only memory ("flash EEPROM") orother nonvolatile memory device that stores multiple bits of data percell. Similarly, mass storage device 117 may be a solid state hard drive117 using multiple bit per cell nonvolatile memory devices for storingdata.

Integrated circuit cards 119 and 120 may be included in the computersystem and are coupled to a Personal Computer Memory Card Industry(PCMCIA) bus 126. PCMCIA bus 126 is coupled to bus 111 and to integratedcircuit (IC) controller 118 for providing communication informationbetween cards 119 and 120 and the remainder of the computer system. ICcontroller 118 provides control and address information to IC cards 119and 120 via PCMCIA bus 126 and is coupled to bus 111.

The computer system may further include a display device 121, a keyboard122, a cursor control device 123, a hard copy device 124, and a soundsampling device 125. The specific components and configuration of thecomputer system is determined by the particular applications for whichthe computer system is to be used. For example, the computer system ofFIG. 1. may be a personal digital assistant (PDA), a pen-based computersystem, a mainframe computer, or a personal computer.

For each embodiment, each memory cell is a flash cell. Each flash cellin the array is capable of being in one of four analog states, and thestate of the flash cell is indicated by two binary bits. FIG. 2 shows adistribution of multi-level flash cells as a function of thresholdvoltage V_(t). As can be seen, each state is separated by a separationrange, and three references, Ref₁, Ref₂ and Ref₃, are provided, one eachfrom the three separation ranges. The references are provided todistinguish between the analog states. State 1 encompasses the lowestrange of V_(t) voltages of the four states and is indicated by both bitsbeing logic 1's (both erased). State 2 is indicated when the high orderbit (Bit 1) is a logic 1 and the lower order bit (Bit 0) is a logic 0.State 3 is indicated by Bit 1 being a logic 0 and Bit 0 being a logic 1.State 4 is indicated by both bits being logic 0's (both programmed). Thenumber n of possible states is not limited to four. For example, thenumber of states can be three, five, sixteen, etc. Further, the mappingof binary bits to analog states may be varied. For example, the lowestrange of V_(t) voltages can be indicated by both bits being logic 0's.

It should be noted that nonvolatile memory devices other than flashEEPROM's and volatile memory devices such as Dynamic Random AccessMemories (DRAM) are potentially capable of storing three or more analogstates. Further, it should be noted that the analog states ofnonvolatile devices having a floating gate may be expressed in termsother than the threshold voltage V_(t). For example, analog states maybe expressed as ranges of threshold voltages V_(t) as shown in FIG. 2,as ranges of drain currents I_(D), or as ranges of charge stored on thefloating gate. Volatile memory cells such as DRAM memory cells aretypically comprised of a capacitor and may similarly be expressed asranges of charge, currents or voltages.

A nonvolatile memory cell that has a floating gate behaves as a fieldeffect transistor having a threshold voltage V_(t) that increases ascharge is added to the floating gate. The memory cell drain currentI_(D) ("cell current") decreases as the threshold voltage Vt and cellcharge level increase. The memory cell threshold voltage V_(t) isrelated to the memory cell drain current I_(D) by the expression:

    I.sub.D αG.sub.m ×(V.sub.G -V.sub.t) for V.sub.D >V.sub.G -V.sub.t

G_(m) is the transconductance of the memory cell;

V_(G) is the memory cell gate voltage;

V_(D) is the memory cell drain voltage; and

V_(t) is the memory cell threshold voltage.

Given this relationship, there are a number of ways to sense the amountof charge stored on of the floating gate of the memory cell, includingthe following: sensing the cell current of a memory cell when a constantvoltage is applied to the select gate of the memory cell; sensing theamount of voltage required at the select gate to give rise to anexpected cell current for the memory cell; sensing a voltage drop acrossa load that is coupled to the drain of the memory cell when a constantvoltage is applied to the select gate of the memory cell, wherein thecell current determines the amount of the voltage drop across the load;and sensing the amount of voltage required at the select gate to giverise to an expected voltage drop across a load that is coupled to thedrain of the memory cell. To determine the analog state of the memorycell, however, it is not necessary to quantify the precise amount ofcharge stored on the floating gate. It is sufficient to compare acharacteristic of the memory cell to a known reference.

One type of reference is a reference memory cell programmed to have aknown threshold voltage V_(t) that is typically between defined states.Sensing circuitry for the memory cell may be replicated for thereference memory cell and the outputs of the sensing circuitry andreference sensing circuitry may be compared using a differentialcomparator. Because sensing the cell charge level of a memory celltypically requires the comparison of either voltages or currents, thereference may be provided by using voltage supplies or current sourcesto supply voltages or currents that correspond to reference memory cellshaving a cell charge level between defined analog states. For thisreason, the references Ref₁, Ref₂, and Ref₃ are not specified as beingthreshold voltages, cell currents, or levels of charge stored on afloating gate. Instead, it is to be understood that the references shownin FIG. 2 correspond to the characteristics of the memory cell asdefined by the relationship between cell charge level, cell currentI_(D), and threshold voltage V_(t). For the purposes of simplifying theremaining discussion, the references Ref₁, Ref₂, and Ref₃ will expressedas threshold voltages V_(R1), V_(R2) and V_(R3), respectively.

FIG. 3 illustrates a by-output sense path architecture according to afirst embodiment. The by-output sense path architecture of the firstembodiment is designed to allow accessing of the n bits contained in aselected flash cell in a single clock cycle. The sense path architectureis said to be "by-output" because each bit in a cell is mapped to aunique output. Although FIG. 3 illustrates a sense path architecture forthe case where two bits are stored per cell, the architecture may bereadily adapted to provide the accessing of flash cells that store nbits.

In this sense path architecture, n outputs are provided per selectedflash cell. In this manner, one address is used to select a single cell.The address is provided by address lines 5, which include row addresslines 6 and column address lines 7. The address line 5 also include aMLC address line 70, which is described in more detail below. Themapping between data blocks and outputs, however, is changed from aone-to-one correspondence. In the example of FIG. 3, there are 16 datablocks, B0-B15, only eight of which are coupled to the sixteen outputs,D0-D15, at any one time.

For a two-bit per cell array, if the number of a flash cells in thearray is to remain at 512 k such that the increased density of thedual-bit flash array is fully utilized, one extra address line ispreferably added over the number of address lines typically required foraccessing single-bit flash cell arrays. The number of address lines thatmust be added is a function of the increased memory space provided bythe multi-bit cell. For every doubling of memory space, or portionthereof, one address line is preferably added. For odd numbers of bits,such as three bits per cell, the added address line results in theaddress space being larger than the accessible memory space. Thus, afour-bit per cell array would have the same number of address lines asthe three-bit per cell array, but the address space and the memory spacewould be co-extensive. If the size of the array is halved in order toreduce the size of a typical 512 k flash memory device, no additionaladdress line is required for a dual-bit flash cell array.

In this example, the floating gate of each selected flash cell isprogrammed such that each selected flash cell has a threshold voltageV_(t) and a cell current that correspond to one of four possible states,which can be expressed using two binary bits. The state of a floatinggate can be determined using a constant-select-voltage/variable cellcurrent sensing scheme where a constant and predetermined select voltageis applied to the select gate of a flash cell each time the flash cellis read. The state of the flash cell is determined by comparing the cellcurrent of the flash cell to the cell current of a reference cell (notshown) when the same select voltage is applied to the flash cell and thereference cell. As discussed above, the threshold voltages V_(t) of theflash cell determines the cell current of the flash cell when the selectvoltage is applied to the select gate.

In FIG. 3, the user provides an address via address lines 5 that the rowdecoder 10 and the column decoders, which include column decoders 20 and25, decode to select sixteen flash cells, one each from data blocks B0to B15. Address decoding is performed as is well-known in the art. Thestate of MLC address line 70 determines which eight flash cells will becoupled to the sixteen outputs. Selected flash cells 30 and 35 are twoof the sixteen flash cells selected in response to the address decodingoperation of the row and column decoders. Flash cell 30 is selected indata block B0. Flash cell 35 is selected in data block B1. The drains ofthe selected flash cells 30 and 35 are coupled to the sense path circuitvia column decoders 20 and 25, respectively.

The by-output sense path circuit includes a circuit for selectingbetween the selected flash cells 30 and 35 in response to the addressbit of the MLC address line 70, a sensing circuit 40 that senses thestate of the finally selected flash cell and outputs two binary bitsindicating that state, and output buffers 50 and 55, each of whichoutputs one of the binary bits to the output of the memory device. Thecircuit for selecting between the selected flash cells 30 and 35includes inverter 71, and n-channel FETs 72 and 73.

For the first embodiment, the state of the added address line determineswhether the high word of the array, which is the sixteen bits stored inthe odd-numbered data blocks B1-B15, or the low word of the array, whichis the sixteen bits stored in the even-numbered data blocks, B0-B14, isrouted to the outputs of the memory device. The added address line isshown as MLC address line 70, which is coupled to the input of inverter71 and the gate of n-channel FET 73. When the address bit is a logic 0,the inverter 71 presents a logic 1 to the gate of n-channel FET 72. FET72 switches on, coupling the sensing circuitry 40 to the column decode20 of the data block B0, which stores two bits of the low word. When theaddress bit is logic 1 the sensing circuit 40 is coupled to the columndecode 25 of the data block B1, which stores two bits of the high word.The MLC address line 70 is coupled to similar circuitry for theremaining pairs of data blocks such that a total of eight flash cellsare selected from eight data blocks to output sixteen bits of data. Onealternative to the present embodiment is to subdivide the array intoeight data blocks each having 64 columns. The added address line canthen be incorporated in the column decode circuitry. In this manner, thecolumn decode circuitry directly selects the desired flash cell withoutresorting to an additional selecting circuit such as that which includesinverter 71 and FETs 72 and 73.

When the address bit of MLC address line 70 is a logic 0, the flash cell30 is coupled to the sensing circuit 40. For a read access, the sensingis preferably performed using a binary search sensing scheme asdescribed below with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B. The sensing circuitoutputs the high order bit Bit 1 to the output buffer 50 and the loworder bit Bit 0 to the output buffer 55. The output buffers 50 and 55output the data to outputs DO and D1, respectively. The specificmappings of bits to outputs is not limited to contiguous outputs and canbe determined according to the needs of the system. For example, thehigh order bit Bit 1 can be routed to output DO and the low order bit B0can be routed to output D7.

FIG. 4A is a block diagram showing a binary search method fordetermining the state of a memory cell having more than two possiblestates. In step 301, the cell charge level of the selected cell issensed and compared to a first reference flash cell having its V_(t)equal to V_(R2). Depending on the result of the initial comparison, thesensed cell charge level of the selected cell is compared to a selectedone of a second reference flash cell having its V_(t) equal to V_(R1)and a third reference flash cell having its V_(t) equal to V_(R3). Ifthe sensed cell charge level of the selected flash is less than that ofthe first reference flash cell, the sensed cell charge level is comparedto the second reference flash cell at step 2, and the selected flashcell is either in state 1 or state 302. If the sensed cell charge levelof the selected flash is greater than that of the first reference flashcell, the sensed cell charge level is compared to the third referenceflash cell at step 303, and the selected flash cell is either in state 3or state 4. Sensing of the cell charge level may be done according toany of the methods previously discussed.

FIG. 4B is a conventional flow chart showing the binary search method ofthe present embodiment. At step 311, the cell charge level of the memorycell is sensed. At step 312, it is determined whether the cell charge ofthe memory cell is less than the cell charge level of the referenceRef₂. If the cell charge level of the memory cell is less than the cellcharge level of the reference Ref₂, the threshold voltage V_(t) of thememory cell is less than that of a reference memory cell having a V_(t)equal to V_(R2). Similarly, the cell current I_(D) of the memory cell isgreater than the cell current I_(R2) of a reference memory cell having acell current of I_(R2). If the cell charge level of the memory cell isless than the cell charge level of reference Ref2, Ref1 is selected atstep 313. At step 314, it is determined whether the cell charge of thememory cell is less than the cell charge level of the reference Ref₁. Ifthe cell charge level of the memory cell is less than the cell chargelevel of the reference Ref₁, the memory cell is indicated as being instate 1 at step 315. If the cell charge level of the memory cell isgreater than the cell charge level of the reference Ref₁, the memorycell is indicated as being in state 2 at step 316.

If the cell charge level of the memory cell is less than the cell chargelevel of reference Ref₂, Ref₃ is selected at step 317. At step 318, itis determined whether the cell charge of the memory cell is less thanthe cell charge level of the reference Ref₃. If the cell charge level ofthe memory cell is less than the cell charge level of the referenceRef₃, the memory cell is indicated as being in state 3 at step 319. Ifthe cell charge level of the memory cell is greater than the cell chargelevel of the reference Ref₃, the memory cell is indicated as being instate 4 at step 320.

FIG. 5 illustrates a sensing circuit that implements a binary searchscheme for sensing the state of a flash cell having four possiblestates. The selected flash cell (as shown in FIG. 3) is coupled to thesource of n-channel FET 403. The input of inverter 402 is coupled to thesource of FET 403 while the output of the inverter is coupled to thegate of FET 403 such that FET 403 and inverter 402 together act as adrain bias circuit for biasing the drain of the selected flash cell andfor isolating the selected flash cell from the column load, which is then-channel FET 404 coupled to the drain of FET 403. The column load FET404 is coupled to operate as a pull-up resistive device. Alternatively,a resistor may be used as the column load in place of FET 404.

The state of the selected flash cell determines the voltage at node 405,which is the drain of FET 403. The negative terminals of differentialcomparators 450 and 455 are both coupled to node 405 for sensing thevoltage resulting from applying the biasing voltage to the select gateof the selected flash cell. Comparator 450 has its positive terminalcoupled to a first reference circuit that includes a column load FET414, a drain bias circuit including inverter 412 and FET 413, and afirst reference flash cell 411 having its V_(t) equal to V_(R2). Thevoltage at node 415 is determined by the cell current of the firstreference flash cell 411. The positive terminal of comparator 455, bycontrast, is coupled to a second reference circuit in which the columnload FET 424 and the drain bias FET 423 are selectively coupled toeither a second reference cell 422, having its V_(t) equal to V_(R1), ora third reference cell 432, having its V_(t) equal to V_(R3). Theselection between the second and third reference cells is made by aselector circuit in response to the output of comparator 450. The columnload FETs 414 and 424 of the reference circuits are preferably identicalto the column bias FET 404. Similarly, the drain bias circuits arepreferably identical.

The selector circuit includes a first n-channel FET 440 having its draincoupled to the source of FET 423 and its source coupled to the secondreference flash cell 422, and a second n-channel FET 445 having itsdrain coupled to the source of FET 423 and its source coupled to thethird reference flash cell 431. The output signal line 460 is coupled tothe gate of first FET 440. The output signal line 460 is also coupled tothe gate of the second FET 445 via inverter 442. If the output of thefirst comparator 450 is a logic 1, indicating that the selected flashcell has a lower V_(t) than the first reference flash cell 441, thefirst FET 440 is switched on and the voltage at node 425 is determinedby the second reference flash cell 422. If the output signal of thefirst comparator 450 is a logic 0, the inverter 442 inverts the outputsignal to switch the FET 445 on, and the voltage at node 425 isdetermined by the third reference flash cell 431. The second comparator455 outputs the result of the second comparison via output signal line465. The output signal line 460 outputs the high order Bit 1 and theoutput signal line 465 outputs the low order Bit 0. The sensing schemeimplemented by the sensing circuit need not be a binary search scheme.For example, the sensing scheme can simultaneously compare the sensedvoltage of the selected flash cell to each reference cell.

FIG. 6 shows a by-output write path architecture. The drains of theselected flash cells 30 and 35 are coupled to the write path circuit viacolumn decoders 20 and 25, respectively. Addresses for cells to beprogrammed are provided via address lines 5. The by-output write pathcircuit includes FETs 530 and 535, AND gates 520 and 525, and controlengine 510. Control engine 510 controls the erasure and programming offlash array. Control engine 510 manages the flash array via control ofrow decoder 10, column decoders 20 and 25, sensing circuit 40, an arrayof reference cells (as shown in FIG. 5) and voltage switch circuitry(not shown). The voltage switch circuitry controls the various voltagelevels necessary to read, program and erase flash array. VPP is theprogram/erase voltage, which must be high in order to program or erasedata stored within the flash array. VPP may be externally supplied orinternally generated. User commands for reading, erasure, andprogramming are communicated to control engine 510 via a commandinterface (not shown). The control engine 510 may be a processor orstate machine that is internal to the memory device, but the function ofthe control engine can be performed by control circuitry external to thememory device. A similar write path circuit is provided for every noutputs.

Each of the FETs 530 and 535 has its drain coupled to the programmingvoltage supply VPP and its source coupled to the respective selectedflash cell via the appropriate drain path for each data block. When alogic high voltage is received at the gate of FETs 530 or 535, the drainpath of the respective selected flash cell is coupled to the programmingvoltage supply VPP. The FETs 530 and 535 thus act as a selector circuitfor selecting which selected flash cell to program. Voltage switchingcircuitry (not shown) uses the programming voltage supply to provideprogramming voltage levels to the selected flash cell. Typically, twelvevolts are applied to the select gate, from six to seven volts areapplied to the drain, and the source is grounded for the duration of aprogramming pulse. The voltage levels applied to the gates of FETs 530and 535 are determined by AND gates 520 and 525 in response to theaddress bit of MLC address line 70 and the output of the control engine510.

                  TABLE 1    ______________________________________    EXTERNAL    DATA    Bit 1    Bit 0            STATE    ______________________________________    1        1                STATE 1    1        0                STATE 2    0        1                STATE 3    0        0                STATE 4    ______________________________________

For a write access, every two external bits are coded into one of fourprogramming levels that correspond to each of the four possible statesby the control engine 510. This encoding may be done according to thetruth table of Table 1. The programming level is then used to set thethreshold voltage V_(t) of a selected flash cell. The primary mechanismfor placing charge on the floating gate is hot electron injection, andvoltage switching circuitry (not shown) uses the programming voltagesupply VPP to generate a gate voltage and a drain voltage to apply tothe selected flash cell during programming pulses. The source of theselected flash cell is typically grounded during programming. Thecontrol engine 510 sets the threshold voltage V_(t) of the selected cellby applying a series of programming pulses during each of which theprogramming voltages derived from the programming voltage supply VPP areapplied to and removed from the selected flash cell. It is possible thata selected flash cell can successfully program in one programming pulse.The amount of charge placed within the selected cell is varied byvarying the gate or wordline voltage level during programming pulses.

During the write access, the MLC address line 70 is used to route the16-bit encoded data into the high or low order word. As can be seen, theadded address line 70 is coupled as an input to AND gates 520 and 525.The address bit is inverted for the AND gate 520. The second input foreach AND gate is the output of the control engine. Depending on thestate of the MLC address line 70, a logic 1 output by the control engine510 will cause either FET 530 or 535 to be switched on, coupling theprogramming voltage VPP to selected flash cells 30 and 35, respectively.If the address bit is high, the high order word (the odd-numbered datablocks) will be programmed. The control engine for each write pathdetermines the programming level of the selected flash cell.

FIG. 7 illustrates a by-address sense path architecture according to oneembodiment. The drain of the selected flash cell 30 is coupled to thesense path circuit of data block B0 via column decoder 20. The drain ofthe selected flash cell 35 is coupled to the sense path circuit of datablock B1 via column decoder 25. The sense path for data block B0includes sensing circuit 40, switching circuit 650 and output buffer 50.In this sense path architecture, one address is provided for each bitstored in the multi-bit flash cell, and the mapping of data blocks tooutputs maintains the one-to-one correspondence of the prior artsingle-bit flash cell array. Thus, in this embodiment, there are 16 datablocks, B0-B15, containing 32 columns each, mapped to 16 outputs,D0-D15. Addresses are provided via address lines 5.

During a read access, when a dual-bit flash cell 30 is selected by rowdecoder 20 and column decoder 10, the drain of the selected flash cell30 is coupled to sensing circuit 40, which is preferably the sensingcircuit shown in FIG. 5. Switching circuit 650, which may be a 2:1multiplexer, selects either the high order Bit 1 or the low order Bit 0in response to the MLC address signal that is received by MLC addressline 70. The MLC address line 70 is routed to each multiplexer for eachsense path. The number of bits for the MLC address line 70 is determinedby the increase in memory space, as detailed above with respect to theby output sense path architecture. For this embodiment, where n is equalto 2, the MLC address line 70 is preferably a single binary bit wide.

During a first cycle of the read access the MLC address line 70 assumesa first state, routing the high bit to the output buffer 671. During thesecond cycle of the read access, the MLC address line 70 assumes asecond state, routing the low bit to the output buffer 50. Of course,the order in which the high bit and the low bit are output may bereversed. Also, each bit stored in a flash cell may be individuallyaddressed, and a two step read process is not required. The sense pathcircuit for data block B1 operates substantially identically to thesense path circuit for data block B0 and is shown to more distinctlydemonstrate the differences between the by-output and by-address sensepath architectures. The sense path for data block B1 includes sensingcircuit 45, switching circuit 655 and output buffer 55.

FIG. 8 shows a by-address write path architecture. The drain of theselected flash cell 30 is coupled to the write path circuit via columndecoder 20. The write path circuit includes n-channel FET 740, controlengine 510, latches 760 and 765, and AND gates 770 and 775. Again, thefunction of the control engine 510 can be performed by circuitryexternal to the memory device. Similar write path circuits are providedfor each output. The drain of n-channel FET 740 is coupled to theprogramming voltage supply VPP while it source is coupled to the drainof selected flash cell 30 via the column decoder 20. FET 740 is switchedon and off in response to a programming signal generated by the controlengine 510 and received at the gate of FET 740.

During a write access two external 16 bit words from two sequentialaddresses are latched into thirty two data latches. Alternatively, asingle thirty-two bit register may be used. When the CLK signal goeshigh and the MLC address bit is low, the bit at the output D0 is latchedinto latch 760. On the next clock cycle when the CLK signal goes highand the address bit goes high, the bit at the output D0 is latched intolatch 765. The control engine codes these two bits into one of fourprogramming levels and switches n-channel FET 740 on and off to programthe selected cell 730. The encoding may be done as shown in Table 1,above. When a flash cell is selected, the high bit of the flash cell isaccessed by a first output, and the low bit of the flash cell isaccessed by a second output.

FIG. 9 shows an alternative write path architecture that can implementeither by-address or by-output addressing schemes. Again, the flashcells of flash array 30 are selected by row decode circuit 10 and columndecode circuits 20 in response to addresses provided via address lines5. The write path circuitry as shown includes a programming buffer 910and voltage switch circuitry 920. Programming buffer 910 is used tobuffer data received via device I/O pins D0-D15. The use of aprogramming buffer increases programming throughput to the flash cellarray 30. The programming buffer enables increased programming speed bybuffering a set of programming data. The programming buffer enables fastaccess to the programming data by the control engine 510. The fastaccess to the programming data enables the control engine 510 toamortize the cycling of program level voltages via voltage switchcircuitry 920 across multiple bytes in the flash cell array 30.

Control engine 510 controls the loading of programming buffer 910 withprogramming data in response to the incoming addresses received viaaddress lines 5. Several bytes or words of data can be stored in theprogramming buffer 910. To program the flash array 30, the controlengine causes the programming buffer 910 to read out the programmingdata to the column decode circuits 20 while simultaneously supplying theappropriate address information to the row decode circuit 10 and columndecode circuits 20 via address lines 5. The control engine 510 appliesprogramming pulses to the selected flash cells of the flash array bycontrolling voltage switching circuitry 920. In response, voltageswitching circuitry 920 provides the appropriate voltages to the drainsand the select gates of the selected flash cells of the flash array 30.The data stored in the selected flash cells is verified between eachprogramming pulse using the appropriate sense path architecture.

The control engine 510 controls the loading and unloading of theprogramming buffer 920 in response to the addressing scheme implementedby the write and read path architectures, and the control engine 510 maybe designed or programmed to support either or both of the addressingschemes described. Thus, the write path architecture of FIG. 9 isflexible and may be implemented on a memory device such that the userultimately selects between by-output and by-address options by selectingthe addressing scheme.

In the foregoing specification the invention has been described withreference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It will, however,be evident that various modifications and changes may be made theretowithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention asset forth in the appended claims. The specification and drawings are,accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than restrictivesense.

What is claimed is:
 1. In a flash electrically erasable programmableread-only memory circuit, a sense path circuit for selectively accessingdata stored in one of a plurality of data blocks, each data blockincluding at least one memory cell that stores n bits, wherein n isgreater than 1, the sense path circuit comprising:a plurality of noutputs; a row decoder circuit coupled to the data blocks; a firstcolumn decode circuit coupled to a first memory cell of a first datablock for addressing the first memory cell in conjunction with the rowdecoder circuit in response to an address; a second column decodecircuit coupled to a first memory cell of a second data block foraddressing the first memory cell of the second data block in conjunctionwith the row decoder circuit in response to the address; a sensingcircuit for determining each of the n bits stored in a selected memorycell and for outputting each of the n bits to a corresponding one of then outputs; and a selector circuit for selectively coupling either thefirst memory cell of the first data block or the first memory cell ofthe second data block to the sensing circuit in response to a selectsignal.
 2. The sense path circuit of claim 1, wherein the select signalis one bit wide.
 3. The sense path circuit of claim 1, wherein theselected memory cell is a nonvolatile memory cell.
 4. A flashelectrically erasable programmable read-only memory device comprising:aplurality of inputs including row address inputs, column address inputs,and at least one select input; a memory cell array arranged in aplurality of rows and columns, the memory cell array comprising aplurality of m data blocks, each data block comprising a plurality ofmemory cells, wherein each memory cell is operative to store n bits ofdata; wherein n is greater than 1; a row decoder circuit coupled to theplurality of m data blocks, wherein the row decoder circuit selects arow of the memory cell array in response to a row address received viathe row address inputs; a plurality of m column decoder circuits eachcoupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of m data blocks,wherein each column decoder circuit selects a column of thecorresponding data block in response to a column address received viathe column address inputs such that m memory cells are selected forreading in response to the row and column addresses; a plurality of m/nsensing circuits each for determining the n bits of one of n selectedmemory cells; a plurality of m outputs coupled to the plurality ofsensing circuits for outputting data sensed by the plurality of sensingcircuits; and a selector circuit coupled to the plurality of columndecoder circuits and the plurality of sensing circuits for selectivelycoupling m/n of the m selected memory cells to the plurality of m/nsensing circuits in response to a selected signal carried by the selectinput.